Blog Beans without borders

My dream has always been to reach the poorest in Africa through science. And now, as a “doctor of plants,” as my children call me, I help regulate the flow of beans between the world’s largest bean genebank in Colombia and many countries in Africa. Beans are essential in sub-Saharan Africa. In East Africa alone, they are the second most-traded commodity, and a meal is often considered incomplete without them. In many African countries, every woman, with only a very small piece of land, can grow and sell beans to put a nutritious meal on the table.

Thanks to decades of research, we have already made huge progress in improving beans. They are now more nutritious and affordable, and the plants are more productive and hardy in the face of heat and drought. But if we’re going to meet the Sustainable Development Goal “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition,” we need to raise the bar even higher. As a breeder, I rely on genetic diversity to make progress. If one bean variety is lost forever, we might never know how its unique attributes could have helped us – and future generations – tackle specific challenges.

That's why the 37,000 accessions at CIAT’s global bean collection in Colombia, and the 3,000 at our genebank in Uganda, are at the heart of the work of the Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) to improve beans for the continent. Safely conserving these beans is key to breeding new varieties that empower farmers to increase their production, resilience, and incomes. We also need to increase the range and availability of beans with improved qualities – like high iron content, tolerance to pests and diseases, and resilience to heat, drought, and low soil fertility. Sharing data and bean samples across borders is vital to achieving these goals.

Over the last 20 years, PABRA, the largest network of bean researchers in Africa, has brought together partners from across the continent to share knowledge, expertise, and germplasm. This collaboration has been crucial in tackling challenges such as climate change, soil degradation, and the emergence of new pests and diseases. Yet in too many cases, policy frameworks are not keeping up with scientific innovation, which can delay the development and dissemination of improved bean varieties to the farmers who need them most.

There are some exceptions. The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) is a free trade area covering 20 countries, which has allowed us to significantly speed up the release of new beans. For the first time, we can use data from high-iron varieties released in Uganda, Burundi, and Rwanda to launch the same varieties in Tanzania and Kenya, where ecological conditions are similar, instead of duplicating lengthy testing procedures in each country. Such policy developments enable greater impact, such as integrating better beans into school feeding programs to combat malnutrition, or helping farmers withstand droughts and erratic weather patterns.

Further progress across Africa requires the scientific community to work together across national boundaries. We must share knowledge, data, breeding lines, and germplasm to ensure that improved beans reach more people, faster and at affordable rates. Farmers, families, and communities depend on this collaboration to secure their food systems and livelihoods.

Investing in bean research is not just about agriculture – it is about empowering communities, improving nutrition, and building resilience in the face of climate change. Every new bean variety we develop is a tool for sustainable development, helping smallholder farmers feed their families, earn an income, and adapt to environmental challenges. By strengthening collaboration between researchers, policymakers, and farmers, we can unlock the full potential of beans to transform lives across Africa.

Ultimately, the journey of improving beans is a journey of hope. Each seed preserved, each variety shared, and each farmer trained contributes to a vision where no one goes hungry, and every child has access to nutritious food. Through science, innovation, and collaboration, we can ensure that the humble bean continues to be a cornerstone of food security, resilience, and prosperity for generations to come.